Chennai, Oct 19 : With Diwali set to be celebrated on Monday, thousands of Chennai residents began their journey home from as early as October 16, marking one of the city's busiest travel weekends of the year.

A massive exodus was witnessed across bus stands, railway stations, and highways as people set out to their hometowns to celebrate the festival with family and friends.

To manage the rush, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) arranged a total of 20,378 special bus services from Chennai to various districts across the state. In addition to the regular fleet of 2,092 buses, 2,834 special buses were pressed into service daily, carrying thousands of passengers to southern and western districts.

According to official data, over the past three days alone, 6,15,992 passengers have travelled in government buses from Chennai. On Saturday, 4,926 buses -- including both regular and special services -- transported around 2,56,152 passengers, the transport department said.

Despite the additional services, most bus stands, including Koyambedu, Madhavaram, and Tambaram, remained overcrowded, with passengers waiting for hours to board.

The rush was equally intense at Chennai Central, Egmore, and Tambaram railway stations, where all southbound trains were packed to capacity.

Southern district trains were especially crowded, with many passengers standing throughout the journey. Railway officials reported that most Deepavali special trains were fully booked days in advance.

Meanwhile, private vehicles added to the congestion on arterial highways such as the GST Road. Long lines of cars moved bumper-to-bumper, giving the impression of a slow-moving parade stretching from Tambaram to Chengalpattu and beyond.

Toll plazas at Paranur, Singaperumal Koil, and Perungalathur saw waiting times stretching to over an hour, with heavy traffic reported late into the night.

According to official estimates from the transport department, around 18 lakh people have already left Chennai to celebrate Deepavali in their native towns. Of these, 9.5 lakh travelled by train, 6.15 lakh by government buses, about two lakh by omnibuses, and 1.5 lakh in private cars.

With lakhs leaving the city, Chennai wore a near deserted look on Saturday evening -- its usually bustling streets turning quiet as families reunited across Tamil Nadu to mark the festival of lights.

/IANS